DoH criticised for being too slow to act on diabetes prevention

A report conducted by the Public Account Committee has denounced the Department of Health (DoH) and NHS England for being ‘too slow’ to act in preventing and treating diabetes.

The report has found that the variations in the care for people with Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes means that the annual cost to the health service will continue to rise, with the annual bill for people aged 16 and over standing at £5.5 billion.

It also outlined a steady five per cent rise in the number of adults with diabetes in England, which has risen to over three million.

A spokesperson for the DoH said: "Any variation in care, as this report highlights, is deeply concerning.

"That's why we are creating a national diabetes prevention programme, the first of its kind in the world, so that we help people avoid developing this devastating condition in the first place."

The report claimed that the government and NHS England had portrayed an ‘unduly healthy picture’ of the state of diabetes. The analysis found that most of the £5.5 billion annually spent on diabetes was used for complications such as heart and kidney disease, blindness and nerve damage leading to amputations.

Complications can be minimised for those who catch the disease early and manage their blood glucose, blood pressure and cholesterol levels effectively. Furthermore, only 60 per cent of diabetes patients receive the necessary checks recommended in order to maintain their health and prevent long-term complications. It also highlighted lacking numbers of diabetes specialist staffing levels ‘not keeping pace’ with the increasing number of sufferers.

The report read: "The percentage of beds in acute hospitals in England occupied by people with diabetes continues to rise, from 14.8 per cent in 2010 to 15.7 per cent in 2013.

"However, the level of diabetic specialists has not significantly changed over this period. In 2013, nearly one-third of hospitals in England taking part in the audit had no diabetes inpatient specialist nurse and six per cent did not have any consultant time for diabetes inpatient care.

"NHS England told us that an increase in nursing numbers isn't likely in the next year or two."

Meg Hillier, chairwoman of the committee, said: "The NHS and Department for Health have been too slow in tackling diabetes, both in prevention and treatment.

"The number of people with diabetes is increasing, as is the number of patients who develop complications. It is a very serious condition that can have a huge impact on people's lives."

Hillier added that taxpayers have the right to support when and wherever they need it ‘rather than by virtue of where they live’.

The government has recently introduced a new NHS Diabetes Prevention Programme aimed at limiting the number of people developing Type 2 diabetes by encouraging them to lose weight and exercise.

However, the report outlined that ‘by itself, this [the programme] will not be enough to stem the rising number of people with diabetes’.